From fortune:



This holiday season Americans are predicted to spend almost $30 billion on gift cards, with restaurant gift cards being the most popular and making up one-third of those sales. 70% of gift cards are used within six months, however, many cards end up forgotten or unused, amounting to tens of billions of dollars. Under the federal law, a gift card can’t expire for five years.

Gift cards will be the most popular present this year. Nearly half of Americans plan to give them. However, many of these will remain unspent. A federal law passed in 2010 dictates that a gift card can’t expire for five years, however, some state laws require longer periods. Although it may take gift cards years to expire, it is still wise to spend them quickly. Inflation and inactivity fees can cause the card to be worth less over time, and if a retail store closes the gift card will be worthless. While one option is to sell the card on a site like CardCash or Raise, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have unclaimed property programs where consumers can search for any unclaimed property they’re owed.



Read more: What happens to gift cards after Christmas holiday season?